Saturday, September 17, 2011

Modern Medicine

Since I have been in the hospital twice this last year, and Ian has been once, my view of doctors and medicine have totally changed.  I feel as though we get drugs to mask our problems but never to fix them.  I spent 32 years thinking that either my stomach didn't have a problem or that it was something else (and took a pill for "chronic pain" for years), when all I could have done was stopped eating gluten.  It is shame what the medical profession has done to all of us. 

My mother-in-law has a teacher at her school that was doubled over in pain for years.  The doctors (many at different hospitals) thought it was something else, or didn't look hard enough, and this guy just never got better.  Finally, one doctor listened and now he is on the path to recovery.  Our friend Will had the same thing happen to him.   He was diagnosed with Crone's disease, thought he'd have to live his whole life with it, couldn't eat anything and was in and out of the hospital when someone finally figured it out.  All he had was a fungus from being exposed to mold and yeast and now he is almost better.  Imagine that.

My favorite doctors over this past year have been the ones at urgent care because they listen to you and have everything there in case you need to give blood, get an x-ray, an EKG and so on.  Even the guy who has been my primary care doctor, and who I really liked for years, has stopped listening.  They always rush you through, hurry you along and prescribe you some drug that will make you feel better in the moment.  I want to go back to a time where wellness was a long term thing, something everyone focused on and took steps to improve over time.  Something we relied on herbs for and talking through our illnesses, instead of just drugs that would make you forget but have horrible long term affects.

This past couple of weeks Ian and I tried acupuncture and herbal remedies for the first time.  I have always taken vitamins (because I exercise so much and eat pretty sparingly) but I actually bought some herbs to help with fertility and hormones.  Ian has been suffering from chostochrondritis since January and nothing has seemed to help him, even though he has seen two doctors and been prescribed 3 different things.  So, we thought we'd give it a chance.  My friend Jenny and I had been talking about fertility acupuncture for awhile, and then she got a client who was certified in it so we all went and tried it out. 

The place is a community acupuncture place, so you do not lie on a white table in a stark room with needles sticking out of you, administered by someone in a lab coat.  Instead, it is a large room surrounded by curtains with comfy armchairs, relaxing music playing and low lighting.  Mayo, who owns the place, is very knowledgeable about what she does, she listens to your concerns and ailments and then chooses the right energy path for you when applying the needles.  She takes the time to explain things to you, listens and is very calming with her voice.  You instantly feel comfortable and relaxed.  You sit with the needles for about 40 minutes, try to relax (even though it is so hard for me!) and just let the blood flow through you.  Afterwards you feel really calm and drained, like you've just had an hour massage, and then you go home kind of floating throughout the day.  The needles don't hurt but you are kind of achy afterwards, that means it's working.  We really enjoyed the experience and I've gone again since, I think it's something I'd like to add to my health routine, it is like the yoga of medicine for me.  I asked if I could bring a book or something (reading is my favorite) because I am not the type of person to fall asleep in a strange place, and trying to relax is nerve-wracking for me, but I couldn't read because of the needles in my wrists.  Maybe next time I will try my iPad, playing Solitaire always relaxes me.  :)  Last time we went, we were the only ones there so Jenny, Mayo and I talked the whole time and that was more relaxing to me - and fun!

Ian has also been trying fire cupping at home to get the blood moving through his chest.  It looks silly while he is doing it, but seems to be working for him.  He just takes a lighter and puts it briefly inside a cup and the presses it to his skin and leaves it there, suctioned.  I have also started massaging him every night to work his joints and that benefits him too.  Glucosomine (for joints), stinging nettle and turmeric are herbs/vitamins he has been trying with a good outcome.  (Check out this article on the best supplements for men, but research each one if you are worried about interactions.)  He is so tired of feeling bad and I don't blame him, it sounds miserable.  I talked to a friend who is a physical therapist and he says that chostochrondritis doesn't usually last this long so I'm so sad for my hubby that he still doesn't feel well.

Mayo, the acupuncturist, recommended that I try red raspberry leaf (tea) and dong quai root for fertility.  The tea helps the reproductive system and the herb helps regulate your hormones.  I got the raspberry leaf supplements too and have been taking them a couple of times a day because you have to drink a lot of tea to get the affects.  The dong quai scared me when I tried it the other night because I'm allergic to so many things and I was worried about it being one of them.  It can be used as a muscle relaxer and is a root and when I started feeling funny and my mouth started to itch, I stopped drinking it (I had it in a dropper that you put in water).  I am too scared but it seems to have so many great benefits.

I have had such terrible experiences with doctors over this past year, it's unbelievable.  I almost died from an allergic reaction to an allergy shot because the office didn't make me wait the required amount of time and I left my OB because they failed to read my chart after my miscarriage and made me tell my whole story multiple times.  I had a heart doctor tell me that the only cure for my fast heartbeat was to go in through a main artery to see if something was wrong (surgery) and a pregnancy specialist for tachycardia (fast heartbeat, totally normal) charge me a $50 copay for just talking to her, with no advice given.  It is overwhelming and sad, and you get frustrated with the system.  Aren't these people supposed to help me?  Aren't they supposed to listen to me?  You feel as though they don't care, like you are just another number to them (or dollar sign).  I think over time doctors forget, they get caught in a routine, like all of us, and just see us as someone else, shuffling through.  Will I be one of those parents who doesn't give their children medicine and instead gives them herbs?  I am pretty close to this scenario.

The biggest in your face to the industry are the facts.  I recently watched this movie and I know it is one-sided but you can't deny the facts.  Countries that use midwives have less death during childbirth than ones who don't.  And out of all my friends/family I have seen c-sections rushed and options not given.  My blog friend Ashley had a natural, water birth with a midwife and loved it, so amazing (click on her name for her birth story).  Really makes you think.

Anyway, try it out.  See if there is an herb that can help you instead of seeing a doctor.  Explore your options, do the research, don't just rely on what someone tells you.  Find someone who will listen, someone who will really help.  And this truly will be "modern medicine."  Feel better.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the blog shout-out Allison! The Business of Being Born is one of my all-time favorite documentaries and every time I watch it I get a more and more mad at hospitals/modern medicine/the system! And if I happen to catch a show like the birth ones on TLC, watch out...I will start yelling at the TV! I just don't like how they treat the moms like they are just another number on a chart or someone else to fill a bed. Grrr...

    I so agree with many of the points you mentioned in this post. I can't even remember the last time I went to my "regular doctor". Like you said, they just rush you along and try to prescribe you something, never paying attention to the root of the problem. That's cool that you've found an alternative "doctor" that can help both you and your husband. I also took Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. I don't know what I'd do without my chiropractor for myself and Avery. Aside from adjustments, she helps me find good homeopathic or natural "medicines" to take if needed. Again, this was an awesome post! ( : Hope your school year is off to a great start.